Unit receives top accolade

The Junction at Lancaster has been commended by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Published:15:00Friday 28 August 2015

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An adolescent inpatient unit in Lancaster has been commended by the Royal College of Psychiatrists for its commitment to providing excellent care.

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust’s unit The Junction is one of only fifteen services nationally to have been awarded the Quality Network for Inpatient CAMHS (QNIC) accreditation with excellence.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists assess services against nationally agreed standards of good practice in relation to the environment, staffing, safeguarding and the overall quality of care.

The Service, which covers all of Lancashire and South Cumbria, was first accredited by the QNIC in 2012 and since that time they have undergone a series of processes including a self-review and a QNIC inspection in order to achieve the status of excellence, which is the highest accreditation that can be awarded.

Michael Huitson, Acting Ward Manager at The Junction, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our priority is to always ensure the service provides the highest quality of care possible for the young people here, so to see the hard work that goes into that everyday be recognised in this way is an honour and a fantastic achievement for everyone involved.”

Dr Warren Larkin, Clinical Director for the Children and Families Network at Lancashire Care said: “The Junction has previously been recognised by this programme and that was something to be extremely proud of, so for us to achieve accreditation with excellence is a testament to the outstanding service provided by the staff in often challenging situations.

“It shows that the high quality compassionate care they provide is consistent and I am delighted that our staff have once again been recognised for their efforts.”

The Multidisciplinary Team at the 10 bedded inpatient unit provide a wide range of psychological, medical and social interventions.

To find out more about what the service provides, please visit www.lancashirecare.nhs.uk and search for ‘The Junction’.